Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
I have a question for us to consider: What does it LOOK like and FEEL like when a city turns its back on God? What happens when it becomes against the law to worship the only true God in that place? Can you even imagine living in a town where it was against the law to worship God or have a Bible in your home or even speak the name of Jesus in public?
Of course there are many places in our world like that today and I know we have a few “Walking with Jesus” friends in those places who at great personal risk are receiving our daily experience in God’s Word. Could it ever happen in your city my friends? Come with me back to Jerusalem in about the year 725bc and we’ll be amazed to see that JERUSALEM actually became a place like that! Could it happen again in our time?
Yesterday we saw God raise up another prophet, Micah, who joined with Isaiah in warning the northern kingdom Israel and southern kingdom Judah about their failing leadership, their wickedness, their turning away from God and God’s impending judgment. God watched closely as a new king came to power in Judah, succeeding his dying father Jotham.
Ahaz had grown up knowing about the leprosy God imposed on his grandfather King Uzziah when Uzziah became prideful and turned away from God; and Ahaz had watched his father Jotham reign in the shadow of that remarkable discipline of God. Ahaz’s father King Jotham is described by this statement: “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. The people, however, continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at the high places…” (2 Kings 15:34,35)
Do you see the problem, my friends? While King Jotham was trying to lead the nation well, there was growing spiritual rebellion against God taking root and spreading among the people of Judah!
Now friends pause for a second and consider this: If you combine the length of time Uzziah and his son Jotham served the people of Judah in Jerusalem with good, God honoring leadership, it is more than 60 years! That was a great time to be alive in Jerusalem! But the hearts of many people were growing cold and hard toward God as they dabbled in the idolatry of other nations. Sometimes ‘good times’ can be deceiving and darkness of the soul can be taking root underneath the veneer that all is well, and that was happening in Jerusalem!
Could it be happening in your town? Spiritual anarchy was brewing in the hearts of some people and it was preparing a receptive audience for the spiritual tragedy which happened next in Jerusalem, as we will see today. Now watch this closely, friends… do you see evidence of spiritual anarchy growing in your city?
This shocking summary describes what happened after Jotham died and his son Ahaz became king in Jerusalem: “Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem 16 years. He followed in the wicked ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out.” (2 Kings 16:2,3)
For the first time a king of God’s people actually took his son outside the walls of Jerusalem and sacrificed him alive, imitating the evil practices of the wicked nations who were invading the northern kingdom of Israel and threatening Jerusalem.
In addition King Ahaz ransacked the treasury and the Temple of God, taking much of the silver and gold, and he sent it to the Assyrian emperor in hopes he would spare Jerusalem. For the people of Israel and even Jerusalem, life was radically changing under the wicked, shocking leadership of King Ahaz. Life in Jerusalem then was similar to life in many places today in China, Russia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Nigeria and North Korea!
As today, when world leaders travel to other nations, especially potentially adversarial nations, to negotiate for peaceful relations and perhaps economic agreements, so King Ahaz of Jerusalem did the same by going to Damascus, Syria to meet with Tiglath Pileser the emperor of the Assyrian Empire, whose armies were ravaging the little nations and conquering them.
2 Kings 16 reports that “King Ahaz saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest in Jerusalem a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built the altar…and finished it before King Ahaz returned.” Do you see what’s happening here my friends?
In his fear of the growing military threats around him, King Ahaz is compromising his role as leader of God’s people in Jerusalem, not only allowing the immoral worship of the idols of wicked nations, but Ahaz is actually leading the people of Jerusalem in the abandonment of the God of Israel and the embrace of evil idolatry!
As you continue to read in 2 Kings 16 you’ll see Ahaz removed the great God designed Altar at the Temple in Jerusalem making room for Ahaz to construct new altars for the worship of the idol gods of surrounding nations. And God spoke again through Isaiah the prophet: “I am the LORD, that is My Name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols…” (Is. 42:8) God had established the nation of Israel with their worship of Holy God as their distinguishing identity. God expected those in political leadership to also lead His people spiritually and morally.
Ahaz was failing miserably in his leadership! He was rejecting all he had learned from his father and grandfather about God and leading God’s people in reliance upon God. He frantically tried to build alliances with surrounding, adversarial nations rather than turning to God for his help. To not offend the leaders of other nations who may come to Jerusalem, King Ahaz began dismantling many aspects of God’s temple in Jerusalem: “He took away the Sabbath canopy… in deference to the king of Assyria.” (2 Kings 16:18)
It’s time to ask an important question my friends: When in your lifetime have you adjusted your spiritual convictions or lifestyle to accommodate someone who does not share your commitment to God or your belief in God’s truths? And what happened in your life when you modified or restrained your spiritual behavior in deference to someone who was not in alignment with you spiritually?
Look at what the record tells us about King Ahaz: “In his time of trouble, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. Ahaz offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, ‘Since the gods of the kings of Syria have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.” (2 Chronicles 28:22,23)
Oh my friends we need to pause right here for today and really give this serious reflection. Have you ever found yourself thinking or reasoning like Ahaz did? It’s a very dangerous path to self destruction isn’t it? Is it possible you are heading down this dangerous road right now? Do you see leadership in your country doing what King Ahaz did? It’s time to talk with God about this and here’s a song of worship to help us. Tomorrow we’ll rejoin Ahaz to see the end result of his dangerous path.
Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 16:8-18.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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